The
Syrian Army, officially the
Syrian Arab Army (
SAA) (
al-Jaysh al-’Arabi as-Suri), is the
land force branch of the
Syrian Armed Forces. It is the dominant military service of the four uniformed services, controlling the most senior posts in the armed forces, and has the greatest manpower, approximately 80 percent of the combined services. The Syrian Army originated in local military forces formed by the French after World War I, after France obtained a mandate over the region. It officially came into being in 1945, before Syria obtained full independence the following year.